Around the AJHL: Drop the puck already

Around the AJHL: Drop the puck already

It’s time for the puck to drop on another Alberta Junior Hockey League season and the Examiner/Reporter is back with Around the AJHL to take fans deeper into the league their hometown Spruce Grove Saints play in.

Can the Brooks Bandits repeat? Will the Spruce Grove Saints Exact Revenge? Who will be the sleeper team this season?

There’s only one way to find out. It’s time for the puck to drop on another Alberta Junior Hockey League season and the Examiner/Reporter is back with Around the AJHL to take fans deeper into the league their hometown Spruce Grove Saints play in.

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From Russia with love

While the pre-season rages on at home, Saints forwards Jordan Biro and Cam Mitchell, and goaltender Matthew Davis are in Sochi, Russia, competing for the Junior Club World Cup with Team AJHL.

The club finished second in Group A with a record of 2-1, behind 3-0 Loko Yaroslavl. The local group beat MODO hockey 5-4 and handled HC Davos 7-0 but fell 3-2 in a close game against the group leaders.

Biro leads the tournament with two goals and four assists for six points over their three games.

Team AJHL now advances to the semifinal to play the top team in pool B, who is still to be determined, on Friday at 6 a.m. local time.

The AJHL is going to look a little different this year with the absence of the Calgary Mustangs. The Mustangs informed the league they were taking a one year leave of absence at the end of last season.

The AJHL playoff format has seven out of eight teams in each division making the postseason. The South will only have six representatives in the playoffs this season. The top two teams in the division receive a bye, while third place plays off against sixth place and fourth placetakes on fifth place in a first round, best-of-seven series.

In the North, the top team in the division will get a bye, and the playoff bracket will fill out as it usually does, except teams will be playing in a best-of-seven series in the first round. In previous years, round one had been a best-of-five.

Almost time for the real thing

Pre-season hockey is great. It means back to the rink, and it means the beginning of a new year with the prospect of winning a championship, but it pales in comparison to the intensity of the regular season. The 2019-20 regular season is right around the corner. Here are a few match-ups to watch for around the league on opening night, Sept. 13. All games are at 7:30 p.m.

The Brooks Bandits celebrate sweeping the Spruce Grove Saints in the Alberta Junior Hockey League final on Tuesday, April 16, at the Grant Fuhr Arena in Spruce Grove. Josh Thomas/Reporter/Examiner

Brooks Bandits @ Drumheller Dragons

When you lose three games all season and go on to win the AJHL title and RBC Cup national championship, all eyes are on you. This year’s Bandits team will be tasked with performing in that monumental spotlight with a much less experienced roster.

While pieces of this past April’s national champions remain, this is not the same Bandits team. They will not be blazing through the league without any real competition, but can they find a way to repeat? It’s only one game, but their season opener agains the Drumheller Dragons might give us an idea of what the defending champs are bringing to the table.

Sherwood Park Crusaders captain Tyler Jette takes down an opposing Okotoks forward in his team’s 4-1 loss to the Oilers on Saturday at the Arena.Photo courtesy Target Photography

Okotoks Oilers @ Calgary Canucks

The Okotoks Oilers have meant business over the past two seasons but two very good teams put stops to their runs. First, a complete Spruce Grove Saints roster bested them in the AJHL final during a historic playoff run two seasons ago, before the juggernaut Bandits eliminated them in the South Division final last season.

Okotoks will believe there is no reason they can’t get back to the South final, and without a super-team hosting the national championship in their division, they know it’s wide open.

Calgary survived near extinction due to financial reasons last season. They’re going to be rolling out for their home opener in their new uniforms, with fans from nearby Okotoks in the building. They will be looking to get off on the right foot to show they’ve turned the organization around on and off the ice.

Head coach Bram Stephen has lead the Saints to an AJHL title, and an AJHL final appearance over the past two seasons, and he has a whole platoon of returning players at his disposal to instil Saints culture into the younger group. There are at least 14 players returning from last year’s roster, including starting goaltender Matthew Davis.

Sherwood Park, Bonnyville, Grande Prairie. They’re all going to be there at the end of the year, but I believe Spruce Grove is going to be the team to watch, and the team to beat in the North Division again.

Grande Prairie Storm @ Fort McMurray Oil Barons

Word around the league is Grande Prairie has made a lot of positive moves over the offseason, and they’re ready to make a mark on the North Division. What better test than against the ever-steady Fort McMurray Oil Barons. Both teams finished middle of the pack last season and have to feel they were only a few steps away from competing with the top end teams.

Which of these clubs made the biggest strides in the offseason? One game might not settle that question, but it’s a good start to the answer.